The One I've Been Waiting For
by Go getter
Summary: This is an eclaire fanfic.  It's about Claire meeting the new guy and getting to know him.  She finds out that there is more to him than meets the eye. I was inspired by others to write this.  Please review. Slight spoilers from breakaway part 2.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a fanfic about Eli and Claire (Eclare). I have read many stories about the two and I just wanted to write one. I hope you all like it. I don't own degrassi or its characters.**

_The first time I saw him I was speechless. His hearse ran over my glasses. He got out of the car, examined them, and then handed them to me. We exchanged words and then he got into his car and left. He was the first guy to tell me that I had pretty eyes. Matter of fact, he was the first guy to make me nervous since KC. There was something about him that made me want to know more about him. Maybe it was the way he didn't care about what people thought of him or the way he looked. He wore all black, drove a hearse and kept to himself. He was sarcastic, but a realistic. He was everything that I wasn't. Before he left that day, I told him "I'll uh, see you around". I thought I was going to die if he just left with no response, but instead he said "Guess you will". I watched as he got into his hearse and left. His loud music left echoes behind. I had such a big grin on my face that even my best friend Alli knew something was up. I told her that she was just imagining things, when in actuality I was crushing on the new guy. I should've asked him his name. I can't just refer to him as the hearse driving, black wearing, mysterious guy that stole my heart. _

_He didn't actually steal my heart, he just borrowed it. I felt like I did when I started to like KC. But, me and him were more than over. He had his new girlfriend Jenna, my ex-friend. I used to hate her, but now I just feel sorry for her. She got my boyfriend, but at what cost. She lost the only real friends she had at Degrassi for a guy that let his girlfriend for a pretty face. How does she know that he won't just dump her when the next best thing comes along? She doesn't. When it happens to her, she'll khow it feels to lose someone you thought cared about you._

_But, enough about her. The same day that he ran over my glasses, was the same day that I saw him in my English class. I got placed in eleventh grade English because I was in the gifted program and tenth grade English was way too easy for me. When I saw him walk in room I froze, I couldn't believe that the same guy that ran over my glasses was just a couple of feet away from me. Was this a sign? Was I supposed to get to know this guy? I asked myself before he looked directly at me. He was so caught up in my eyes that he didn't even notice that Mrs. Kwan had been calling him. Finally, he snapped out of his trance and sat down in his assigned seat, which was right by me. I thought I was going to lose it when he leaned closer to me and said "So we meet again." I responded with a simple "Yeah, it must be fate". I was being sarcastic and he noticed because as soon as I looked at him, he began to grin. _

"_What's your name?" he said while he looked into my blue eyes. "Claire." I said as my heart skipped a beat. I had never felt like this before, he made me nervous, very nervous. "I'm Eli." he said as he extended his hand out to me. I shook his hand, tried to pull away, but he still held my hand. This went on for about two minutes until he let go. I thought I was going to pass out right then and there. This is going to be a long semester, but interesting I told myself._

_This is going to be my year. I'll laugh more, have more fun and experience things that make life worth living. Maybe I'll even fall in love. Anything can happen, especially when a guy looks at me like Eli does._

**Hope you all like the first chapter. I know this is short, the next chapter will be longer. Keep reading to find out what happens next. Review and tell me how I did. This is my second fanfic. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all of the reviews you guys. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as you all enjoyed my first one. Again, I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ITS CHARACTERS. **

_I woke up today thinking about his green eyes, smirk, dark clothes and the way he wore his hair. Am I obsessing over him? I can't be, I just met him yesterday. There's just something about him that makes me want to get to know him better. Maybe it's because he's so mysterious. Usually I can read people, but he's different. When I look at him, I can't figure out what he's thinking at all. That's definitely an upgrade from KC. KC wasn't mysterious at all, he was just a hot head that dumped me for a perky blonde cheerleader._

_I got to school to find Eli leaning on my locker. I walked up to him and said "Excuse me, your on my locker. Can you please move?" He gave me a smirk before he said "Why don't you make me? I would love to have your hands on me." I shot him a quick smile before telling him " I bet you would." With that said he gave me a once over and headed to his first class. I really do not get him. Why would he be waiting for me at my locker? How did he even know where my locker was? I have all of these questions, but no answers. _

_After getting my Media Immersion book from my locker I met Alli at her locker._

Claire: "Hey Alli, guess who was at my locker this morning?" she exclaimed.

Alli: "I don't know. Was it your new boyfriend, Eli?" she said sarcastically.

Claire: "How did you know?" she said amazed.

Alli: "Claire, I was joking. Did he really show up at your locker?" she said curiously.

Claire: "Yeah and he wouldn't move. He told me to move him. He said "I would love to have your hands on me." she said with a smirk.

Alli: "Uh oh Claire, it sounds like Eli has an interest in you. Let's see what he does next." she said while closing her locker.

Claire: "Yeah right. He just met me and I'm not even his type." she said as her and Alli entered their Media Immersion class.

Alli: "Why do you always do that Claire? You're a very pretty girl. Lots of guys would love to go out with you , you just come off as standoffish most of the time. When guys see you like that, they don't know whether to approach you." she said quietly so the teacher wouldn't hear them talking.

Claire: "Your right. I don't give myself enough credit, I'm just not used to guys staring at me and complimenting me." she said while turning on her computer.

Alli: "Well get used to it because it looks like you'll get a lot of attention from Eli. You have a new attitude and a new look. It's time to meet new people and experience things Claire, good and bad.

_Claire sat in class thinking about what Alli had just said. She thought about it and said to herself "I'm smart, but I'm pretty too. I'm smart, but I'm pretty too." Before she knew she said it loud enough for the whole class to hear. Everyone turned to her and looked at her like she was crazy. She simply responded "I didn't mean to say that." She was so embarrassed. Although her look had changed, she was still the same Claire. The same girl that said random things in Class, obsessed over getting any grade lower than an A and the same girl that was amazed when a guy would look at her._

_Class ended and Claire headed to her English class where she would see Eli. She loved his name, of course she would never admit that to anyone. She took her seat, class began and there was still no Eli. Maybe he's just late or maybe he's sick. Why do I even care? It's not like we're dating, I just met him. _

_Mrs. Kwan gave us our assignment. We had to read a story, write a page long summary, and then paraphrase it. Since this was the first week of school, we didn't have much work. She made it clear that the real work would start next week, but I was prepared. I always am and besides English is my best subject. It's so easy for me. I started on the assignment only to stop after the second page. I couldn't concentrate with Eli on my mind. I kept wondering where he was and why he wasn't in class. I even started to think that he wasn't in class because of me. This is what I'm talking about, he's so unpredictable. One minute he's at my locker, the next he's skipping class. _

_School was finally over, I was so glad because I couldn't wait to get home and write some more vampire fan fiction. It had become a hobby of mine. I got so into the vampire books that I decided to write fan fiction to pass the time._

_I headed out of the front doors to find Eli in the parking lot leaning on his..hearse. I still couldn't believe that he drove a hearse of all cars. I decided to find out why he wasn't in class, so I walked up to him and said..._ "Why weren't you in class?"

Eli: "Hello to you too." he said obviously trying to ignore her question.

Claire: "Hi, Eli. Now why weren't you in class." she said annoyed with his games.

Eli: "Why do you want to know? Did you miss me?" he said as he walked towards her.

_He got closer and closer. He got so close that Claire couldn't even speak. When she spoke, she started stuttering. He was the only guy that made her this nervous._

Claire: "I-I j-just wanted to k-know why y-you weren't in class?" she said as she got herself together.

**Eli's POV: **I really have an effect on her. She's always stuttering and blushing when I'm around. I might just mess with her mind a little. It'll be fun.

Eli: "Do you want a ride home?" he said motioning her toward his hearse.

Claire: "I don't know. I barely know you. " she said even though she knew despite his actions, he was a good guy.

Eli: "You know my name's Eli and I'm in your English class. That's all you need to know, for now." he said as he got into his hearse.

Claire: "I'm still not sure if I should...I." she said before Eli interrupted her.

Eli: "Are you coming or not?" he exclaimed.

Claire: "Sure." she said as she got into his car.

_I got into his car and immediately started looking around. This was the first time that I had been in a car with a boy that I didn't know. Heck this was the first time that I had been in a hearse. I looked into the back of the car. He must've known what I was looking for because he spoke up._

Eli: "Were you expecting to find a coffin?" he said sarcastically.

Claire: "No I was just looking around. I've never been in a hearse before. So why did you get a hearse instead of a regular car?" she said.

_Why did I even ask him that? I'm sure people ask him the same question all of the time._

Eli: "I don't know. I just wanted one. I've always been different from kids my age, I've never been the type of person that follows the crowd." he said while getting lost in Claire blue eyes. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, but he couldn't help it.

_Eli started up his car and pulled out of the school parking lot. _

Eli: "Where do you live?" he asked.

Claire: "I live at 324 Collins Way. It's a big blue house." she said trying not to look at him because she knew it wouldn't be long before she was blushing again.

_A couple of minutes later, they had arrived at her house._

Eli: "Here we are. 324 Collins Way." he said as he turned towards Claire, getting caught up in her eyes once again.

Claire: "Why do you keep staring at me like that?" she said while looking directly into his green eyes.

Eli: "Your just too pretty, Claire. I can't help but look at you. Can you blame me?" he said waiting for her response.

Claire: "Thanks, but I'm just not used to guys giving me compliments." she said.

Eli: "Well get used to it because I might throw you a couple every now and then." he said while he shot her a smile.

Claire: "Okay. So you never told me why you weren't in class today." she said as she started to think that he was just avoiding her question.

Eli: "I'll tell you tomorrow. Or the next day. Maybe not. Well I'll just tell you now." he said as he watched her expression change from curious to confused.

Claire: "So I guess your not going to tell me." she said.

Eli: "I'm still thinking about that. Ask me again tomorrow." he said before he started grinning. He just loved playing with her.

Claire: "I should go. Thanks for the ride Elijah." she said as she got out of his car.

Eli: "It's Eli." he yelled to her as she made her way up the driveway.

Claire: "I know, but I think I'll call you Elijah anyway. Bye." she said before she entered her house.

_Eli watched as she entered her house. He sat in his car thinking about her for a minute before he pulled off._

**Eli's POV: **She's really something. She can be very shy, but she can also be very sassy. I like her. She's not the girl that I would normally go after, but there's just something about her. I want to find out more about her. I want to know her likes, dislikes, dreams, I want to know everything about her. It might be hard to break her out of her shell, but I'm always up for a challenge.

_Claire hung up her jacket and ran upstairs. Eli just gave me a ride home. He told me that he was different and he didn't like following other people. We are two completely different people. He does everything he can to be different while I just try not to draw attention to myself. I'm glad we're so different, but that might be a problem later on. He seems spontaneous while I plan everything. I never do anything without thinking about it first. Maybe I should just do things instead of analyzing everything. It'll be hard, but I'm determined to have new experiences. Hopefully some of those will involve Eli._

**I hope this chapter was good. I had never gotten so many reviews from a story so fast. Thanks again for all of the views and reviews for my story. Keep reading and keep reviewing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I glad you all like my story. I'll do my best to keep it interesting. Thanks for all of the reviews, they motivate me.**

_It had been two weeks since I first met him. His name was Eli Goldsworthy. He was sarcastic, outgoing and spontaneous, everything that I wasn't. But, for some reason I'm intrigued by him. I just can't stay away from him. But, lately KC has been trying to interfere in my alone time with Eli. I know Eli and I are not official yet, but I still need some time with him...alone._

_I'm at my locker fixing my hair, it has to be perfect when I see Eli and all of a sudden out of nowhere KC shows up. I jumped a little bit because he caught me by surprise. _

KC: "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he said quickly.

Claire: "I'm sure you didn't KC. What are you doing here? Why are you at **my **locker?" she said becoming very frustrated with his presence.

KC: "I just thought that we could be friends, you know like we used to be. I miss you Claire, but if I'm bothering you I can just leave." he said as he turned around and began walking. Claire grabbed his arm and let out a defeated sigh.

Claire: "We can be friends KC, but that's all." she said trying to make it clear that they weren't getting back together. Just because he broke up with Jenna did not mean that I was going to take him back. He lost his chance.

_KC leaned towards Claire and gave her a hug. This wasn't a regular I just want to be friends hug. This was an I want you back and I'm going to do what I have to do to get you back hug. Claire slowed pulled away from KC's grasp to find Eli staring at them. He looked sad, angry and confused. Claire turned to KC and told him that she had to go. She turned around to find Eli gone. She entered her English Class to find Eli staring at the wall like it was his enemy. She tried to get his attention, but he ignored her._

**Claire's POV:** Why won't he talk to me? He won't even look at me so I know there's something going on because he's usually starring at me constantly. We're not dating so he couldn't be jealous, could he? I saw the look in his eyes, he looked like he wanted to punch KC's face in, but at the same time he looked sad and confused. I told him that KC and I were over, but I guess me hugging him sent the wrong message. I don't care how mad he is at me; I'm going to get his attention somehow.

_Claire pulled a piece of paper out of her binder wrote a quick message on it and then tossed it on Eli's desk. First, he just looked at it and then ignored it. I guess his curiosity got the best of him because a couple of seconds later he picked it up and opened it. He sat there for a few minutes thinking before he got a pen out of his bag and wrote his response. Eli founded the paper and placed it on my desk. I quickly opened it and read its contents: __**I thought you said that you and KC broke up. If that's**__**the case, the why were the two of you hugging in the hallway earlier. Matter of fact, you two weren't hugging; he was holding you and you didn't seem to mind.**__**Why do you care it's not like you like me? **__she wrote, and then passed him the note. __**I do like you Claire; I just didn't know how to tell you. I planned on telling you this morning until I saw you with KC.**_

_Claire looked up from the note to find Eli staring at her. She thought that he flirted with her sometimes, but she also thought that he might have just been messing with her. After all Eli was the type to mess with people's mind. It seemed like he got some kind of thrill out of doing so. Claire decided that she was done passing notes, she wanted to hear his voice; the voice that she heard every day, the voice that brought a smile to her face. She turned to Eli and said "I like you too Eli, I just wasn't sure if I was the kind of girl that you usually went after." "Your not, your better. I usually go for girls that have attitudes and love breaking the rules like I do, but you're not like that and I really like that about you. Sure you get nervous a lot, but you also have another side to you that I like. A side that wants to experience life and everything that it has to offer, maybe I can help you to relax and let that side of you shine through." he said sincerely but quietly because he didn't want to risk Claire getting into trouble. He didn't mind getting detention, but he knew she would so he made sure the teacher couldn't hear him. "So what should we do?" she said while smiling at him. "We can do whatever you want to do." he whispered into her ear. "Eli you wish." she said knowing that he was just playing with her. "If I make that my wish, will you grant it?" he said while he watched her facial expression change from flattered to amused. _

_They both smiled at each other and then proceeded to look at the teacher as if they were paying attention to her lecture, when in actuality they were thinking about each other. Eli was thinking about how it would feel to kiss Claire, while she was thinking how it would feel to have him hold her in his arms. Eli wasn't the biggest guy at Degrassi, but he had strength in his words and his body._

_Class ended and as Claire began to get her books and leave Eli stopped her._

Eli: "Can I walk you to your next class?" he said while grabbing her books and placing them on top of his own.

Claire: "Sure." she said as she started to blush.

**Eli's POV:** Yes, I'm walking through the hall with the prettiest guy in school, well at least to me. I'm glad that I told her how I felt. I just couldn't hold in it anymore. Now that I know she feels that same way about me, my life can only get better from here on.

Claire: "Here we are. Thanks for walking me to class, Eli." she said as she pulled him into a hug.

_Eli was ecstatic, not only did she like him, but she touched him. As she leaned into him, he took in her lovely scent. She smelled like a bouquet of roses, fresh and sweet._

Eli: "Your welcome, I'll see you at lunch." he said as he handed her, her books.

Claire: "I can't wait. Bye Eli." she said with a smile that could light up a room.

_Claire's body was in class, but her mind was somewhere else. Alli, her best friend, got tired of starring at Claire's blank face. She decided to speak up when she became a little concerned._

Alli: "Earth to Claire, is anyone in there?" she said trying to bring Claire back to reality.

Claire: "W-what happened?" she said with a confused look on her face.

Alli: "You were daydreaming about Eli." she said.

Claire: "How'd you know that?" she said wondering if Alli was a mind reader or a hell of a good guesser.

Alli: "I didn't, but I do now. What is it about him that has your mind wondering? Is it his smile, his eyes, or his mysterious persona?" she exclaimed.

Claire: "All of the above. He's perfect Alli. Everyone else might think he's weird, but I think he's nice and he's..." she was at a loss for words as she watched Eli walk past her classroom.

Alli: "You've really got it bad, Claire." she said as she watched her friend's mind wonder once again.

_It was finally lunchtime and Claire couldn't get out of the classroom quick enough. She left Alli standing there amazed. Alli and Claire had been eating lunch together since the sixth grade, now all of a sudden a guy dressed in black had changed everything. Claire barely talked to Alli anymore and when she did, it was always about Eli. Eli this and Eli that. Alli and Claire were slowly drifting apart. Alli was doing everything that she could do to become popular, while Claire chased the new guy around school. _

_Claire quickly spotted Eli sitting by himself in the caf. She snuck up behind him trying to scare him, but he said "Hey Claire, trying to scare me huh? I never get scared. Nice try though." "Eli, something has to scare you. Everyone is scared of at least one thing." she said as she took the seat next to him. "Well, I'll admit that I 'm scared of one thing, just one thing." he exclaimed. "What's that?" Claire said as she began to smile at the thought of him finally admitting his one fear. "I-I'm scare of losing you." he said in an unusual voice. "You don't have to worry about that and don't think that I didn't notice that you didn't answer my question. I know that there is something that scares you and I'll find out eventually." she said more determined than ever. "Like I told you I'm not scared of anything. _

_Let's talk about something else. I hate to bring this up, but it has been bugging me a little." he said. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked him as he continued to stare at her. "I just wanted to know why you and KC were hugging earlier." "KC and I agreed to be friends. He hugged me, a little too long I might add and then that's when I saw you. I could tell you were mad and disappointed." Claire said hoping her answer would satisfy him. "I wasn't just mad Claire, I was jealous. I don't want you hugging any other guy except me." he said. "Oh, I get. You want me all to yourself." she said leaving a smirk on his face. _

"_That's right." he said as he watched her smile at him. He knew that she couldn't wait to be in his arms. "You know you'll have to share me with Alli and KC." she said. "Alli sure, but KC I don't think so." he said in a very serious way. "What do you have against KC?" she asked. "He broke you heart and now that he's single he expects you to come crawling back to him." he exclaimed. "Even if he begged me to get back with him I wouldn't and why would I? I have you, remember." she said while she watched his smile grow bigger._

_Lunch ended, Claire and Eli hugged each other and then went their separate ways. The rest of the day flew by fast for Claire and Eli. Before they knew it, school was over. _

_Claire walked out of school with a big smile of her face. Today had been one of the best days she had in a while. At first it started a little shaky, but then it just got better and better. She noticed Eli leaning on his hearse starring at her. _

Eli: "You want a ride home?" he said as he began walking towards her.

Claire: "Sure." she said before walking over to his hearse. She grabbed for the door, but Eli beat her to it.

"Thanks, you're such a gentleman." she said as she slid into his hearse. "You're welcome. Chivalry is not dead you know." he exclaimed. "I guess not." she said.

_Eli pulled up to Claire's house, she thanked him and then got out of his car. She was heading to her door when she heard him say "Claire, never mind." he said disappointed in himself for chickening out. "Ok, thanks again, bye." she said wondering what he had wanted to say to her. Eli waved before driving off._

**Claire's POV: **I really like Eli. He's not like any other guy I've met. He's a gentleman and he does and says what's on his mind. I know he wanted to tell me something earlier, but for some reason he just blew it off. It makes me wonder a little. What am I saying; Eli makes me wonder all of the time. I can never tell what he's thinking.

_Claire had a lot of homework, so she forgot about Eli and focused on her studies. Two hours later she was finished. She decided to call Alli and see what she was up to. Lately Alli had been trying to get Drew to notice her and if she wasn't doing that she was trying to get everyone else to notice her. Alli has always been an attention getter. She changes her clothes at school, wears a lot of makeup and she does everything she can think of to be popular. She wasn't that popular yet, but knowing Alli, she wasn't going to give up until she was the most popular girl in grade ten. She dialed Alli's number and the phone rang and rang, still no answer. Claire gave up and decided to watch the Twilight movie. She loved Robert Paterson and after reading vampire books, she had got hooked on anything vampire related._

_It was ten o'clock and Claire was sound asleep when she heard a noise. It was coming from her window. She got up walked towards her window and saw Eli standing there. She opened the window and he climbed through._

Claire: "What are doing here and how did you know which window was mine?" she said amazed that he found her window and not her parent's window. She would have had some major explaining to do if he would have knocked on their window instead of hers.

Eli: "I just had to see you and it was a lucky guess." he said as he got lost in her eyes.

Claire: "You should leave before my parents find you in here." she said as she became worried that her parents would walk in at any time. They usually checked in on her throughout the night just to make sure she was alright. Her parents were funny like that. They were very over protective.

Eli: "I'll leave after I do this..." he said as his lips met hers.

Claire: "Whoa, that was one heck of a kiss." she said as she began to blush at the thought of her and Eli's lips being pressed together.

Eli: "Yeah it was. I should probably go before I get caught. With my luck your parents would walk in and catch us." he said as he headed to the window.

Claire: "Bye Eli." she said as he climbed out of the window.

_Claire had never had a kiss like that before. She felt warm and tingly all over. It was finally official; Claire and Eli were a couple. They sealed the deal with a kiss. She was happy, but scared at the same time. A kiss like that was caused by passion, a lot of passion. Another kiss like that could lead to a make out session and that could lead to impure thoughts, which would lead to something that she would regret._

_**Claire's POV: **__I going to take my time with our relationship, Eli knew the saying that I followed "Pure hearts wait." He would never pressure me into doing anything that I wasn't ready for. I'm not worried about him, I'm worried about myself. Sometimes just looking at him makes me hot and bothered, but I would never tell him that. _

**The next chapter will be about Eli's and Claire's relationship developing as well as his home life. Please review and tell me your thoughts on this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is about Eli's home life. I know I said Claire would be in this chapter too, but I decided at the last minute to just make this chapter all about Eli and his family. Thanks for all of the reviews. I hope you like this chapter.**

_It seemed like Eli's life was perfect, he had an amazing girlfriend, got decent grades, and he made a new friend (Adam). It looked like everything was going as planned for him; however looks could be very deceiving. It may have looked like everything was fine on the outside, but on the inside Eli was crying for help. School was the only place he felt safe, his home life was __**hell. **__Every day he would laugh and flirt with Claire at school, and then he would come home to his abusive father. His mother left two years ago, she just couldn't take the verbal and physical abuse anymore. Ever since that day she left Eli's father was like a ticking time bomb. He never knew when he would go off. Sometimes he would just get angry at Eli for no reason. The yelling didn't bother Eli, but when his father would hit him he felt helpless. He felt like there was nothing he could do to stop him. _

_**Flashback:**__ One day last year Eli got the courage to stand up to his father. His father had just gotten home from work. His boss had been ticking him off all day, threatening to fire him because he was late to work again. His father couldn't afford to lose his job, so he put up with his boss's attitude, but when he got home he took it out on Eli. After he got home from work that day, he searched through the house for Eli. When he found him he gave him a look that could kill, then he punched him in his face. Eli was fed up with his father's random beatings so he swung at him and hit him in his nose. Blood started pouring down his father's nose. His father wiped the blood of his face and then began to charge at Eli. He then picked Eli up and threw him against the wall. He wasn't finished with him yet, so he repeatedly kicked him in his stomach. But, even that wasn't enough. Eli's father picked him up from the floor and punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Eli was unconscious for an hour. That was the first time that he had ever blacked out. That was also the first and last time that he would ever take a swing at his father._

_**Back to Reality: **__Eli had just gotten home from his date with Claire. Tonight had been one of the best nights of his life. Everything was going fine until he got home. His father had been waiting up for him. _

Eli: "Hey, dad." he said feeling scared because he had missed his curfew. He would have gotten home in time if he hadn't been stuck in traffic. He took Claire to a concert that was two hours away. An accident had held up traffic. He apologized to her parents for bring her home late and they accepted, but his father was different. His father didn't care for excuses whether they were true or not.

Elliot (Eli's father): "You're late, where were you?" he said with anger.

Eli: "I told you I was going to a concert with my girlfriend, Claire." he said hoping his father would drop it and let him go to bed.

Elliot (Eli's father): "Don't get smart with me boy." he said as he moved closer to Eli.

Eli: "I didn't mean to get smart with you dad, I'm just...I'm just tired." he said as he backed away from his father. His father was very unpredictable. Eli never saw it coming when his father would hit him.

Elliot (Eli's father): "I'm tired of looking at you, so just go to bed." he said as he began to walk back into the living room.

Eli: "Wow, I'm glad I dodged that bullet." he whispered to himself, but not low enough because his father heard him. (his father heard everything that he said whether he whispered or not)

Elliot (Eli's father): "What the fuck did you just say?" he said as he got up from the couch.

Eli: "Nothing, I didn't say anything." he said as he continued to walk back up the stairs.

_Eli's dad wasn't convinced so he pulled Eli by his collar and pushed him down the stairs. Eli could barely get up. His leg was really sore; he thought it might be broken so he asked his dad to take him to the hospital. His dad didn't want to, but he didn't have time for his son to develop any problems with it so he took him to the emergency room. _

_They had to wait for forty minutes before someone called them into the examination room. The doctor asked Eli how this happened and he simply responded with "I fell down the stairs. I'm really clumsy." The doctor looked at him with disbelief, but he shook it off gave Eli an x-ray and then left the room. "You better not tell him what really happened or they'll be hell to pay." His father threatened. A few minutes later the doctor returned with Eli's x-rays. He told Eli and his father that Eli had indeed broken his leg and he would need a cast. Of course Eli wasn't happy about having to walk around in a cast and crutches, but he had to. The doctor asked Eli's dad if he could speak to Eli alone. Eli's dad gave his son a quick glare before exiting the room._

Doctor Hudson: "Tell me what happened to your leg one more time, I just want to make sure that I heard you correctly." he said hoping that Eli would forget whatever lie he told him.

Eli: "I fell down the stairs." he said quickly, maybe too quickly because the doctor was now starring at him with an odd look on his face.

Doctor Hudson: "Okay, are you sure there isn't anything else you want to tell me about what happened? It'll just be between me and you." he said knowing that whatever Eli told him would have to be reported to Child Protective Services.

Eli: "I don't have anything else to say. I told you the truth. I fell down the stairs." he said even though he desperately wanted to tell the doctor the truth so his dad would stop hurting him.

Doctor Hudson: "Alright then. Let me just get your cast on you and then you'll be set." he said as he began to wrap Eli's leg up.

_They heard a knock on the door, it was Eli's dad._

Elliot (Eli's father): "Is everything alright?" he exclaimed.

Doctor Hudson: "Yup, everything is fine. He'll need to wear this cast for two months." he said as he handed Eli a pair of crutches.

_Eli looked at the crutches with hate. It was enough that most kids at school thought he was the weird obsessed with death goth kid, but now look at him he's a crippled, at least that what people would call him. Luckily Eli didn't care what people thought of him, so that thought ran in and out of his mind very quickly._

_Eli and his father were outside of the hospital heading towards the car when his father grabbed his arm causing him to almost fall into the street. _

Elliot (Eli's father): "What did you tell that doctor? You better not have told him anything about me pushing you down the stairs because if you did, I'm going to break your other leg." he said to Eli as he opened the car door.

Eli: "I promise I didn't tell him anything except that I fell down the stairs." he exclaimed. Eli was more scared than ever now. He didn't know how his own father could treat him like he did.

Elliot (Eli's father): "Get your ass in the car." he said as Eli struggled to get in.

_When they got home, Eli's father didn't even offer to help him upstairs; instead he struggled the whole way up the stairs. He almost fell back two times, but did his father care, no._

**Hope you all liked the chapter. The next chapter will be about Claire reaction to Eli's new look (cast and crutches) and maybe even her finding out Eli's secret. Maybe. Keep reading.**


	5. Author's note

**_Author's Note:_ I am glad that so many people had read and reviewed my story. I might not be able to update my story for a week after today because I'm going out of town. Be patient and when I get back I'll update it. If I can get access to a computer while I'm out of town, I'll update it. (real slim chance though).**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Sorry for the long delay on my next chapter. I know a couple of people said I should have Clare and Adam visit Eli and have them find out what's been happening to Eli, but I think I am going to go another route with the story. However I do appreciate your suggestions. Thank you to all of my story viewers and reviewers, without you guys I wouldn't be as motivated to keep updating my story. I hope you guys like this chapter. It has come to my attention that I have been spelling Claire's name wrong. Someone told me it is spelled Clare. (Sorry for the error).This is actually chapter 5, the previous chapter is just an author's note. This chapter continues from the morning after Eli broke his leg. Can he finally tell Clare what's been going on or will he keep his secret to himself?**_

_After a night of tossing and turning, due to the fact that he couldn't get comfortable with his cast on, Eli grabbed his crutches and pulled himself out of bed. Even though he was two hours late for school he decided to go. He was suprised that his father hadn't yelled at him to get up like usual. Since he went to lay down in his roon last night, he hadn't heard a word from his father. He struggled to get ready for school. He almost fell in the bathtub twice when he was taking a shower, however he did manage to get himself dressed and down the stairs. Eli's father didn't even acknowledge his son's presence or the fact that his leg was broken. He had let his anger get the best of him, hurting his son in the process. It was as if his father felt no guilt or sympathy towards him. All Eli wanted was a father that cared for him, one that he could talk to about school, girls and life, but all he got was a father that ignored and beat him. Eli felt so much pain that he wished there was someone he could confide in, well there was Clare, his girlfriend, but he didn't want to bother her with his problems. She had problems of her own to deal with. Her parents were on the verge of getting a divorce and she didn't know what to do. She tried to figure out ways to get them to talk it out, but nothing she did seemed to work._

_**Eli's POV: **I wonder what Clare will say when she sees me in my cast, knowing her she'll probably freak out and get all worried. I really care about Clare and I know she cares about me, but I just don`t know if she can take hearing my secret. Most of the time it`s too much for me to handle, so how can I expect her to be able to handle it. That`s it, I`m just not going to tell her. If she asks me what happened, which I`m 100% sure she will, I`ll just tell her that I got jumped. She`ll go for that because I have been getting bullied a lot lately. (hint, hint). _

_Morty was finally running again so Eli decided to drive his hearse to school. Although he had a broken leg, he was still able to drive his beloved, Morty. He loved that car so much that if his father messed it up he would just go off. Eli pulls up to Degrassi, hops out of his car (literally), grabs his crutches from the back seat and makes his way to the front steps where he sees his new friend, Adam sitting on the top steps. After seeing Eli in his state, Adam immediately got up and said "What happened to you?" "It`s a long story dude." Eli said nonchalantly, but Adam knew something was up. "I got time before class, so tell me who did this to you." Adam said as he gave Eli a quick once over. "I told you it`s no big deal, now can we just drop it and talk about something else." Eli said becoming more and more frustrated by every word Adam said. "Sorry dude, but I just can`t ignore the fact that something is going on with you." he said before Eli got fed up and left him standing there by himself. Adam wanted to know what was going on, but how could he find out if Eli kept avoiding the subject? _

_Practically everyone was starring at Eli. They were looking at him like he was crippled. Eli didn`t really mind because he really didn`t care what people thought of him, except Clare. He was never anyone else but himself around her, but he still didn`t want to do anything stupid or crazy around her. Eli got to his locker to find no one there. He was thankful that she wasn`t there because that meant the less explaining that he had to do. He made it all day without seeing Clare until he bumped into her in the hallway. "Hey, I haven`t seen you all day...what happened?" she said shocked at Eli`s appearance. "Nothing to fear, Eli is here and clear." he said trying to lighten the mood a little._

_**Clare's POV: **He's always trying to make me smile at the most serious times. I like that about him, but it also really annoys me. When I first saw Eli today, I wanted to cry because he looked so bad. He has a black eye and a broken leg. He probably won't tell me exactly what happened, but I'm still going to try and get him to talk to me. I really care about him and I don't want anything bad to happen to him._

_Eli sees the look on Clare's face, she looks concerned and worried. He knew that he couldn't hide the truth from her for long, but he was going to try. _

Eli: "We should get to class." he says trying his best to avoid Clare's questions.

_Clare just stood there in awe. Eli was the one who constantly questioned her about her problems, but now that he has a couple of his own he's silent. She didn't know much about his home life other than the fact the he lives with his father. Other than that, Eli made excuses for why they could never study at his house or why it wasn't the right time for Clare to meet his father. Clare was more determined than ever to find out what was going on with Eli._

_Clare walked into the classroom to find Eli rubbing on his leg. He was obviously in pain, but when he saw Clare starring at him he immediately removed his hands from his leg and looked forward tryiing to avoid eye contact with Clare. _

_Clare took her usual seat next to Eli before saying "So your still not going to tell me what's wrong?" she said with a determined, but sad look on her face. "No, it's none of your business Clare so drop it. If I don't want to talk about it, then I don't have to." he said before he focused his attention on his english teacher, Mrs. Kwan. "I'm worried about you Eli." Claire whispered. "Well don't. I can take care of myself. Now leave me alone." he shouted loud enough to get Mrs. Kwan's attention. "Since the two have so much to discuss, why don't you meet me here at 3:30 for detention." Mrs. Kwan said making both Clare and Eli sigh at the thought of spending unnecessary time at school. It was enough to spend eight whole hours there, now they had to stay two extra hours. Just the thought felt like torture. Class was over in no time._

_Before Clare could even grab her books. Eli had slung his bookbag across his shoulder, grabbed his crutches and headed off towards the caf. Clare grabbed her things and headed to her locker to put away her English book. When she got into the caf, she noticed Eli sitting by himself. She thought about sitting by him, but them quickly changed her mind when he shot her a quick glare. She decided to sit by herself today. She couldn't sit with Alli because she was too busy sucking face with Drew and when she wasn't hung up on him, she was hanging out with her arch nemesis, Jenna. Although Clare had stopped hating Jenna, she could never imagine herself befriending her ever again. She was completely over KC, but just the thought of them together still made her sick to her stomach. _

_Clare quickly found an empty table and sat down. To her surprise, KC walked over to her and asked if he could take a seat. She didn't really mind because they had agreed to be friends and nothing more. "So how have you been?" KC asked curiously. "I've been fine...except..nevermind it's nothing." she said. "Clare I've known you long enough to know that when you say it's nothing, it's something." KC exclaimed. "Okay I'll tell you. Eli won't talk to me. I can tell something is up with him, but he won't tell me what's wrong. I've tried to talk to him a couple of times, but keeps avoiding me or telling me to mind my own business." she said while looking at the surprised expression on KC's face. "Why are looking at me like that?" she said obviously aggitatted and confused. "I'm sorry. It's just you haven't changed that much Clare. Your still the same girl that has to know what's wrong with everyone." he said. "Is it so bad to want to know what's wrong with my own boyfriend?" she says with anger in her voice. "Calm down, Clare. I didn't say that there was anything wrong with you being like that. I just said that you haven't changed." he said trying to watch what he said so she wouldn't go off on him again. "I'm sorry KC, it's just frustrating trying to talk to someone that doesn't want to talk to you." she exclaimed. "I know the feeling, trust me. When you wouldn't talk to me, I was hurt and frustrated. But, that's in the past now and we're friends right?" he said knowing that deep down inside he could never just be friends with Clare. Deep down inside he knew that he still liked her a lot even if he would never admit it. "Yeah, just friends." Clare said._

_****__KC's POV__: I'm having lunch with the prettiest girl in grade ten. I know we agreed to be friends, but I still like her. I would never tell her that because I know she doesn't feel that same way about me. She likes that weird goth kid that drives a hearse, Eli. Just hearing his name outloud makes me angry. He has my girl. What am I saying? Jenna is my girlfriend. She might be my girlfriend, but I could never feel the same about her as I felt with Clare. She's just too perky and bubbly all of the time. She can be serious when I need her to be sometimes, but other than that it's like I'm talking to a brick wall. I mean there are times when I need to talk about my feelings and all she wants to talk about is how cute her spirit squad uniform looks on her or what she's going to wear to the next school dance. I don't know what I was thinking when I dumped Clare for Jenna. That was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. Even though I regret it, It's too late. I can't fix my wrong. I just have to deal with the fact that the only girl that I have ever truly liked is taken._

_Clare and KC continued talking throughtout the rest of their lunch period. Eli had shot glare after glare at them. They were so into their conversation that they hadn't even noticed his constant starring. He didn't know why his girlfriend was talking to her ex. This made him so angry. If he could of, he would have gotten up, ran to KC and punched him in the face. However, this would only increase Clare's anger. She was already made at him for ignoring her, so that would only make things worse._

_Lunch ended and KC and Clare walked out of the caf together while Eli struggled to gather his books and make his way to his last class. Eli remembered that he had forgotten his history book in his locker, so he went to get it. He placed his crutches up against a nearby locker while he balanced his weight and began to put his combintation into his lock. He grabbed his history book and slammed his locker shut. Waiting patiently behind him was his friend, Adam. _

_Eli: "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he said while grabbing his crutches and beginning to leave before Adam stopped him._

_Adam: "Dude, what's up with you and why are you avoiding Clare? She's only trying to help you, man." he said._

_Eli: "I don't need any help, what I need is for you and Clare to give me some space. I need room to breathe. Some time to think. I already have to deal with my dad...nevermind. I gotta go." he said as he quickly made his way to class._

_**Adam's POV: **Something is definitely up with him. Claire and I are going to find out, no matter how hard he tries to keep it a secret. Besides my brother and Clare, he's the only other friend I have and I just can't stand around while he suffers. Before he left his last words were "I already have to deal with my dad...nevermind. I gotta go." I think he was about to say something bad about his father. Maybe his father abuses him or maybe his father and mother are having marital problems. Whatever it is, I'm going to find out because he didn't break his leg himself or give himself that killer black eye._

_**I'm sorry I haven't updated my story in a while. I've just been real busy and a little unmotivated. I been so busy with college stuff, it's been crazy. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, hopefully it's as good or better than my previous chapters. The next chapter picks up during Clare and Eli's detention. During this chapter Clare will become very curious, she might even find out something about Eli's homelife. You guys will just have to keep reading to find out. Please review.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you all so much for the reviews. My readers are my motivation. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as you all enjoyed the last one. It picks up during Clare and Eli's detention.**_

_Before Eli knew it school was over. He was looking forward to school ending, but he wasn't looking forward to seeing Clare in detention. "If only I would have kept my mouth shut, I wouldn't be in this mess". He thought to himself. Eli never kept his mouth shut, that just wasn't his style he always had a snappy comeback or remark for anyone that had something to say about him. Eli went straight to the detention room and sat in the first row so that he wouldn't have to see or talk to Clare. He didn't hate her or anything like that, he just couldn't tell her what was going on. _

_Mrs. Kwan was sitting at her desk waiting patiently for Clare to arrive. "Right on time Mrs. Edwards, take a seat." she said as Clare walked into the room._

_**Clare's POV: **__Eli Goldsworthy voluntarily sitting in the front row. He must really not want to talk to me because he never sits in the front row. First, he tells me to mind my own business. Then, he glares at me during lunch and now he's avoiding me. What did I do to him? All I wanted to do was find out what was bothering him. I just wanted to make him feel better because I care about him. _

_Clare decides to take action and get Eli's attention so she takes out a piece of paper, scribbles down a couple of words and then kicks it over to Eli. At first, he's a little hesistant to pick it up because he doesn't want to hear from her or risk getting another detention. It's a good thing that Mrs. Kwan is so into her novel that she isn't even paying them any attention. Eli quickly grabs the note and reads it. It reads __**ELI WE NEED TO TALK. **__Eli writes a quick response and then passes the note back to Clare. She opens it and it says __**WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO YOUR NEW PAL KC? **__Clare couldn't believe it, Eli was jealous. He had no reason to be, but he was. Clare wrote __**YOU SHOULDN'T BE JEALOUS OF KC, KC AND I ARE OVER. WE HAVE BEEN FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW. WHO SAID I'M JEALOUS **__Eli responded. __**YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SAY IT, ITS WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE **__Clare replied and then slid the note back to him. Eli just sat there and starred at the note. He had no intention of responding. _

_Mrs. Kwan told them that she wanted a three page essay on why they shouldn't be talking in class while their teaching is talking. She told them that she wanted it complete by the end of detention, which meant that they had an hour and a half to get it done. They both got to work right away. They finished around the same time and decided to hand in their papers early. Mrs. Kwan received a phone call and then she told Eli and Clare that they were dismissed. Usually she would have never let students leave detention early, but his time she made an exception because she had to leave early. _

_Eli and Clare made their way out of the building when Eli said "Do you want a ride home?" _

_Clare: "I thought you weren't speaking to me." she exclaimed._

_Eli: "Do you want a ride or not?" he asked._

_Just because Eli wasn't on the best of terms with Clare at the moment did not mean he was going to let her walk home alone. He would never be able to live with himself if something bad happened to her._

_Clare: "Sure." she said as she got into his hearse._

_The car ride to Clare's house was quiet, too quiet. Eli hadn't spoken to Clare since she got into his hearse. Eli stopped at Clare's house and patiently waited for her to get out. When he noticed that she hadn't moved, he got out of the car, walked over to her side and opened the door for her. Clare got out and before she could say anything Eli walked back over to the driver's side and got in. He waited for Clare to get inside of her house before he pulled off._

_That night Clare couldn't sleep at all so she decided to pay Eli a visit. She knew his address, but she had never been to his house before . She had only gotten a quick glance of it once and that was only because Eli drove past it on their way to the movies one night. It was the kind of house that one would not forget. It was two stories, light green and had circle shaped windows. Clare walked up to the house and before she could ring the door bell she stopped herself. She heard a loud crash and people arguing. It sounded like Eli and his father. _

_Before she could even knock on the door a figure opened it. It was Eli. _

_**Clare's POV: **__How did he know that I was at his door? Does he have ESPN or something? He looks so sad. I wonder if him and his dad argue a lot. _

_Eli: "Clare? What are you doing here? I told you that I didn't want to talk to you. " he said quietly noticing the disappointed look on her face._

_She looked as if someone had just broken her heart. All she wanted to do was help Eli. She wanted so bad to be there for him, to comfort him. She didn't understand why he kept pushing her away. _

_Clare: "I couldn't sleep. I had to see you Eli. I want to know what's going on with you. I need to know what's going on with you. I care about you a lot. If anything happened to you I'd just...before Clare could finish her sentence Eli's father came to the door._

_Eli's Father (Elliot): "Hey cutie, you must be Clare. The girl my son can't stop talking about." he said._

_Eli: "Dad, me and Clare were talking. Can we please have some time alone?" he said nervously because he was unsure of his father's next action._

_Eli's Father (Elliot): "Shut the hell up. Don't you see me talking to this sweet young lady? Stop being rude Eli." he said as he directed Clare into the living room._

_Clare was shocked. She had never heard an adult use such profanity, at least not intentionally. She started to think that coming there was a mistake. Maybe Eli had a good reason for why he didn't want Clare to come to his home._

_Eli moved out of the doorway so Clare could enter their house. She looked a little nervous and afraid. She turned to Eli for reassurance, but all she got was a sad look full of desperation. Eli didn't want Clare to witness his father's profanity and violent temper. He was afraid that this would scare Clare and that she wouldn't want to associate herself with him anymore. _

_In the living room: Clare took a seat on the couch next to Eli, who looked like he was on the verge of having a panic attack. Clare had never seen him like this before. He kept fidgeting and looking everywhere but at Clare._

_Eli's Father (Elliot): "Eli why don't you get Clare something to drink?" he said calmly._

_Eli's Father (Elliot): "Clare, what would you like to drink? We have soda and apple juice." he exclaimed._

_Clare: "Soda's fine. Thanks." she said as she watched Eli get up and walk into the kitchen._

_Eli's Father (Elliot): "Sooo, what do you think of my son? Does his goth overly obsessed with death exterior scare you?" he asked._

_Clare: "I think your son is a really nice guy and no his appearance doesn't bother me at all." she said._

_Eli came out of the kitchen with a soda in one hand and a beer in the other. He handed Clare the soda and when his father saw that he was carrying a beer in the other hand, he lost it._

_Eli's Father (Elliot): "What is this? Why are you handing me a beer right now? We have company and besides you know I don't drink at this hour." he said as he gave Eli a look that would frighten anyone._

_Eli: "What are you talking about dad? You drink all of the time. Stop putting on an act just because Clare's here." he said while Clare sat there looking uncomfortable and out of place._

_Eli's Father got up and walked over to Eli and grabbed him by his collar._

_Eli's Father (Elliot): "I was trying to be nice while your little girlfriend was here, but you just had to tick me off. Loose the attitude or I'll help you lose it." he said before he sat back down and apologized to Clare for the disturbance._

_Clare didn't know what to say. She was flabbergasted. All she could do was sit and watch. _

_Clare: "I think I should go home. I'll see you at school tomorrow Eli." she said as she got up and headed to the door._

_Eli: "Wait I'll walk you home. I don't want anyone to bother you and I just want to make sure you get there safely." he said as he opened the door and allowed Clare to exit first._

_Clare: "What was that back there? Does your father treat you like that all of the time?" she said in a worried voice._

_Eli: "No, no. It's just that my dad has been very stressed lately with his job. His boss has him going insane." he said while he looked away from Clare._

_Clare: "But, you said he drinks all of the time. Does that mean that his boss always gets to him or does that mean that he was the one that caused you to break your leg and get a black eye?" she said trying to get Eli to look her in the eyes._

_**Eli's POV: **__She's too smart for her own good. Sometimes I wish she was more naïve like the other girls at school, then she wouldn't know every time something was up with me. What am I saying? If she was naïve and stupid, I wouldn't be able to stand her. I love that she has a brain and knows how to use it. She figured it out, so I should probably just tell her what happened._

_Eli: "Your right Clare, my father did this to me. Sometimes he just gets so mad at me and he hits me. He's been like this since my mom left us. She couldn't take his emotional and physical abuse anymore so she just left. Can you believe that? My own mother just up and left me." he said as his voice began to crack. He was on the verge of tears, but he got himself together._

_Clare: "I'm so sorry Eli. I didn't know you were going through this. I wish you would have told me." she said as she pulled Eli into a hug. That's all that he needed at the moment. He just needed to know that someone cared about him._

_Eli: "I couldn't tell you because you had too much stuff going on. You had school and you were dealing with your parents getting a divorce. I didn't want to cause you anymore pain. I didn't want to worry you. I thought I could handle this on my own, but I can't. I just can't Clare. I need you to help me get through this. You and Adam are the only people that I can trust." he said as a single tear ran down his cheek._

Clare wiped away the tear and kissed Eli on his lips. It was a short and sweet kiss. Innocent, but at the same time full of passion. "I don't want to go back home Clare. Is it okay if I stay with you tonight? I promise I won't try anything. I just want to lay with you and hold you." he said. "Okay, but we have to be very quiet." she said as they climbed the tree that led to Clare's bedroom window. Clare also had to sneek in because she left her house without her parents' consent. They thought she was sound asleep, when in actuality, she was awake and gone.

_Clare opened her window and crawled through it. Eli came in right after her. Once he was in her bedroom, Clare quickly went over to her door and locked it. _

_Her parents would freak if they found out that she had a guy in her room. Although they were fighting, they still agreed on some things, like their fifteen year old daughter not having boys in her room. They were strict Christians that were against premarital sex._

_Clare walked over to her bed where Eli was patiently sitting. She laid down and Eli instantly laid beside her and put his arms around her waist. He respected her too much to try and make a move on her, so he kept to his word and just laid and held her._

_**Clare's POV: **__How does he know how to hold me just right? I feel so safe in his arms. I wish we could stay like this forever, us laying down in my bed and him holding me. But, unfortunately it would only last until morning. Eli had to be out of Clare's room before her parents woke._

_A couple minutes later, Eli and Clare fell asleep, Eli's arms around Clare and her hands around his arms. They looked so sweet and innocent. If only that moment could last forever._

_**I hope you all liked this chapter. It was my longest chapter so far. Please review and tell me what you think.**_


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